


Who Will Fix Me Now?

by meowbands



Category: Dead by Daylight (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anxiety Attacks, Canon-Typical Violence, Coping, Eventual Happy Ending, Everything you did to survive?, F/F, F/M, How do you live without watching your back after doing so for two years?, How do you return to normal after everything you've lost?, Internalized Homophobia, Lesbians, M/M, POV Alternating, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Rare Pairings, The Killers are Pretty Normal, almost everyone is gay, old gays
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-28
Updated: 2019-04-20
Packaged: 2019-07-03 17:15:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 9,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15823395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meowbands/pseuds/meowbands
Summary: The Killers and Survivors have finally escaped the Entity's Realm, and now must adjust to the new universe and new times. How do you adjust from being chased at every corner, killed at every slip up, to just living like a normal person? How do you cope with the fear of pain and agony looming over your shoulder?AKA: The Modern DBD story that features my ships, and coping mechanisms.Title taken from Drown - Bring Me The Horizon





	1. The Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> The first couple chapters are rough, but it starts to take shape.

Quentin watched with tired eyes as the black mist rolled in, signaling yet another trial. Of all his time being here, he learned to accept it, and just pray that he wasn’t one of the eight survivors going to face against killers. The fog lapped at his feet, causing him to let out a sigh – it seems he was going after all. He grasped his medkit, waiting to be teleported to the random map.

Yet, nothing came.

Quentin sat up straighter, eyes immediately falling to David, the man dozed off next to him against a tree. He turned to Dwight, the appointed leader of the group, as he was the first one to arrive. Dwight and Meg had stopped their conversation as soon as they noticed what Quentin had.

“What’s goin’ on?” Kate asked, assuming that this has happened before, but not in her life time yet.

“Do you think it has decided to let us go?” Nea asked hopefully, feeling the mist wisp by her fingers when she lowered them into it. Bill was suddenly standing, his cigarette tucked between his fingers for once.

“Look over there, kids,” He grunted, pointing to a seemingly random direction. Quentin noticed the black mist was much thicker from there. “Seems it’s comin’ from there.”

"I guess we should check it out,” Dwight said, nervousness coating his words. He stood, joined by Jake, who silently took the role of protector. Kate soon joined, claiming she wasn’t going to let the boys have all the fun. Quentin took the opportunity to nudge David awake, a small smile from the English man’s grunt and sleepy look.

The minutes were long, waiting for the three to return with news. Quentin counted them in his head, as well as flipping plans over in his head of what would they do if the three survivors didn’t come back.

“Do you hear that?” Min whispered, her eyebrows furrowing. The survivors went silent, listening. Finally, Quentin heard it.

Humming.

“It’s the Huntress, shit,” Meg cursed under her breath, immediately running to hide behind a particularly thick tree. Soon, the rest of them were following her lead, hiding behind boulders and trees as the humming got louder.

Quentin risked a peak, and saw the Huntress standing at the campfire. For once, her humming was silent. Instead, a deep voice rippled from the woman. “Come out, выжившие. I am not here to harm you.” He shared a look with the two nearest people – Claudette and Meg. Claudette frantically shook her head, but before Quentin could decide, he saw Tapp approach the Huntress, slowly, ready to turn and run at any misstep from the woman.

“The Entity led us here. It was… strange, what happened,” The woman told Tapp, who noted her normal axe was missing. The Huntress spoke slow and in short sentences, like she didn’t have a great grasp on English yet.

“Us?” Tapp questioned, his eyebrows raised. The Huntress made a sound of agreement, then let out a low whistle. Slowly, the rest of the killers emerged – Trapper, Wraith, Hillbilly, Clown, Myers, Hag, Nurse, Pig, Leatherface, Doctor, and Krueger. None of them brandished their signature weapons, besides the Hag and Krueger, of course, not being able to detach them.

Tapp seemed to freeze with fear, and slowly took a step backwards. Meg whipped out from behind the tree, stepping up beside Tapp, a silent communication happening between them of assurance. The rest of the survivors slowly joined, albeit hesitantly, save for Dwight, Jake, and Kate. Quentin stayed close to David, trusting the man with his life if things were to turn south.

“We have three others looking for where our mist led to,” Claudette explained, her voice quivering a bit. The Huntress gave a firm nod.

“We believe this is our way out. We do not wish to be here either,” She clarified, removing her mask. Quentin couldn’t believe his eyes – she wasn’t disfigured, she wasn’t horrifically damaged. She was a normal woman, if you excluded the massive height, with her hair in a tight bun. “Is it alright if we await your friends’ return here?” Claudette nodded after confirming with the rest of the group.

 

Nea may be stubborn and impulsive, but she wasn’t stupid. She could see the tension between Laurie and Myers, and Quentin and Krueger. Myers never looked away from Laurie – not like Nea would be able to tell with his mask. Laurie stared right back, her hands slightly trembling, but a brave look on her face.

Quentin, on the other hand, was staring down Krueger with a deep glare, standing taller than Nea had seen the man do before. It was like he was daring Krueger to start something, or to touch one of his friends. David also seemed to pick up Quentin’s feelings as well, deciding to rest a hand on the man’s shoulder, reminding him to stay cool and they weren’t there on a threat.

 

Several awkward minutes later, and the three survivors emerged from the woods, pausing when they saw the killers opposite of their group.

“What’s- W-What’s happening, guys?” Dwight asked shakily, gripping a sheet of paper tight.

“They followed the mist here,” Meg summed up.

“We have no intentions on dealing any damage,” The Trapper spoke, a deep grunt of a voice.

“We want to know if we are escaping from this place,” The Huntress continued. Jake only recognized it was her from her thick Russian accent and her normal clothes. Without her mask, she looked like a completely different person.

“Y’all, it’s a note from Benedict, that guy that left notes for y’all? Apparently he went through this light thing, but we ain’t sure if he actually made it safely or not. He just summarized it in these notes,” Kate answered, surprisingly calm in the presence of the people sent to kill her.

“So it’s a portal?” The Wraith asked, his voice soft and threatened to be swallowed by the wind. Jake nodded.

“I suppose introductions are in order before we continue to our likely dooms,” The Trapper suggested, also removing his mask. “I am Evan MacMillan.” One by one, the killers went, introducing themselves, except for Myers and Leatherface.

Trapper- Evan nudged Myers in a friendly manner. It was an odd sight to see. “Come on, show them your face and introduce yourself. Max did it.” Myers seemed to give an agitated look to Evan, despite showing no emotion. Slowly, hands came up and grasped the mask, pulling it off. Underneath was a man with blonde, medium hair, and piercing blue eyes, just like Laurie.

“I am Michael Myers,” He spoke briefly, glancing at everybody, but landing back on Laurie. He returned the mask to its rightful place, masking any previous view of the man. The survivors introduced themselves quickly, quick names and not much else. Then they were off to the “portal” that the three spoke of.


	2. The Last Meet Within the Realm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final goodbyes before the survivors step into the portal.

The survivors stood in a circle, talking, and hugging the friends they made, all of them having bonded deeper than any other situation could have caused. There were addresses shared, hope that they were put in the same “universe” according to Bill, and promises to meet up. Quentin burned their meeting spot into his brain – he wouldn’t miss it for the world.

Quentin hugged David the tightest, gripping onto the coat he came to cherish on nights he couldn’t even stand with exhaustion, and would be wrapped up in it. “It’ll take me a whi’e if I’m back in t’ UK, but I’ll be there, I promise, Quen,” David said, an affectionate side he would only ever show Quentin. Quentin looked up at David, and for a moment, it looked as if David would kiss him. It wasn’t the first time David looked like that, but neither of them felt like pursuing a relationship that would never last outside the trials, because they would never escape.

“I’ll be waiting,” Quentin whispered, taking off his cross necklace and putting it on David. All David could do was grin, holding Quentin in a tight hug.

 

“If we make it out, you have to come on a tag with me. See the world at night,” Nea urged Meg, a casual arm slung around the athletic girl’s shoulders.

Meg nodded firmly. “Definitely. And I’ll have to take you to that old factory I saw, so you can tag that as well.” Meg and Nea had bonded over finding random, abandoned places. Nea so she could tag it, and Meg because she saw them when she ran down paths in the bad part of town or the woods.

Nea grinned at her best friend. Of course, she thought Meg was hot and beautiful and just perfect, but she also knew of Meg’s countless boyfriends, and her focus on track. This made Nea never try anything. She never wanted to be a burden to the girl who had a million opportunities for her, while she was just a tagger that didn’t work a real job.

 

Ace nudged Bill in the ribs. “Listen old man, this isn’t a one-and-done thing. If you end up in our world, you better come find me.” Bill merely grunted, taking the cigarette from his mouth.

“I’m the old one?” He grumbled, eyeing Ace’s grey hair. Ace rolled his eyes in plain view, not even bothering to hide from Bill’s gaze. He grabbed the front of Bill’s coat slowly, as to not startle the veteran, and pulled him in for a kiss.

“Gross! Old man kisses!” Nea cried, shielding her eyes. Bill continued smoking once Ace pulled away, while Ace simply laughed and waved her off.

“We all can’t be young and cool, girl,” Ace teased, without a single bite behind the words.

 

“Don’t you live far from the city?” Dwight asked, playing with his fingers as he waited on Jake’s answer. Usually Dwight was cool around Jake. The man had helped him let go of some anxiety and realize that everything wasn’t worth stressing over. With the situation at hand, and the towering figures of the killers not far from them, it was difficult to not break into a full panic attack.

Dwight could tell Jake was on edge as well. The saboteur had his hands stuffed in his pockets, not looking at one place for too long. He glanced all around, over his shoulder, on the ground; in full survival mode. Dwight didn’t blame him for one second. Yesterday – or what he could tell was yesterday – they were avoiding bear traps and hatchets and chainsaws, and now they were near the people who hooked them on every rusty hook and tore through their flesh with sharp weapons.

Jake gave a simple nod, then cleared his throat. “I’ll still come, Dwight.” His confirmation was an unspoken promise, one that Dwight knew he would uphold.

 

Laurie continued watching Myers over her shoulder, not daring to let her guard down around the man that spent his life hunting her. “Laurie?” A country accent pulled her out of her thoughts, and she turned to Kate, who was watching her.

“Sorry, just nervous. Are you planning on meeting us? You mean a lot to us, even if you are the newest,” Laurie assured, smiling at the slightly shorter woman who still maintained perfect curls despite rolling in grime and blood. Kate smiled bright, her smile shining brighter than any completed generator.

“Of course! I’d love to spend more time with y’all, especially you, Laurie!” Laurie felt her cheeks warming up in a blush.

“I’d love to also, Kate.” Kate gave Laurie a tight hug, not understanding why Laurie was so flustered.

 

Tapp reminded Claudette of her father, the way he was so protective and determined to make sure nobody got injured. When he hugged her, warning her to be safe, she could barely stop the tears from falling down her face. She was so close, so close to getting out. So close to seeing her parents again, caring for her garden, returning to a normal life. It was eating away at her.

She knew being so hopeful could be dangerous, especially when the Entity fed on hope, but she couldn’t care anymore. She just wanted out. She was the third one here, after Meg and Dwight. She’d been hit enough to know the feeling without having to actually be hit, and felt a hook pierce her collar bone more times than she’d ever like to remember. She’d been stabbed, cannibalized, bashed, chainsawed, everything. And she was tired.

 

With a final goodbye and a promise to meet in Omaha, Nebraska, the survivors stepped through the glowing yellow portal, not bothering to address the killers standing behind them. 


	3. I'm Waking Up

Bill sat up, immediately grabbing his hat and the cigarette that had fallen out of his mouth. He surveyed his surroundings before making an immediate move. Laurie was lying about three feet to his left, her eyes still shut. Quentin was in front of him, pulling himself off his front to sit normally, wiping away at the dirt that had stuck to his cheek. It was strange to see him without his cross necklace.

They were in a wooded area, but Bill could faintly hear traffic. Bill met Quentin’s eyes, nodding briefly to him. The kid seemed to understand and came over to help lift Laurie with Bill. Quentin didn’t ask a single question as he hooked one of Laurie’s arms over his shoulder, not that Bill minded. Bill put Laurie’s other arm around his shoulder, and together, him and Quentin made their way to the city and to the nearest hospital they could spot.

 

David sat up, the smell of vomit and beer hitting his nose before he could even make out the place he was at. He stood, hand jolting out to hold himself up on the brick wall. The alleyway, he could say with certainty, was familiar. He got the strength to hold himself up and he did so, making his way out to the main street. Judging by the lack of people, he assumed it was early morning, as he could just see the sun peaking over the buildings. It gave him a budding hope, the knowledge that this was all real.

He spotted the sign of his last seen pub, and went in, knowing they didn’t typically close until seven.

“David? David King?” The bartender asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

“’at’s me. Wha’s today?” David asked, walking to the bar.

“David- ‘ou’ve been missin’ for two bloody years, mate,” A man said, coming from the back room. Peter, if David could remember.

“Two ‘ears? Ya sure ‘bout that?” David grunted, sticking his hands in his pockets to avoid clenching his fists. He felt the necklace and knew that he really did meet Quentin, and it wasn’t all some fucked up dream.

“We didn’t know where ya went, we assumed you died, David,” The bartender cut in again. David shook his head.

“Not gettin’ rid o’ me ‘at easily. ‘ave a phone I can borrow or summint? Need ta make a call.” David followed Peter into the back room and called his mum. He needed to get to America.

 

Dwight woke up in a dim forest, everything blurry. He soon realized that he was missing his glasses. Once they were secured back on his face, he looked around. This is where he was first abducted by the Entity, where his coworkers left him to freeze.

There was a soft crunch of a twig, and Dwight’s whole body tensed. The killer was going to be here soon, this was the new map, a new part of the Red Forest he hadn’t seen. He looked around, begging there to be a familiar red locker sitting, waiting for him to hide in it. After not being able to locate one, he ducked behind a particularly thick tree, stuffing his tie in his mouth to muffle his erratic breathing, like Jake had shown him.

He spared a glance from behind the tree and saw… Jake?

Dwight crept out, staying low. “Jake? Where are we?” He whispered, catching the man’s attention. Jake was looking over his shoulder, also looking for the killer, and back to the ground to watch for bear traps, to Dwight, then to the tree line to make sure Myers or the Huntress wasn’t near.

“This place is familiar, I know it,” Jake answered under his breath, not willing to get loud. He held onto Dwight’s wrist, leading the nervous man in a direction his instinct told him to go. After creeping along, low and steady, his eyes widened in confusion at the sight before him. He stopped suddenly, causing Dwight to run into his back.

“It’s my old house,” Jake mumbled. Dwight peaked over his shoulder into the clearing. There was a cabin, but not falling apart with metal haphazardly attached. It was made from treated wood, an actual roof on top, a porch, a garden, a _door_.

Dwight swallowed a cry of fear when there was another noise, like a leaf being stepped on. Jake’s muscles tightened under his hands in preparation to run or to hide. Something made Jake stop, though. There was a deer, on the opposite side of the clearing, grazing. The Entity never had animals, not even squirrels in the gigantic trees of the forests, much less an entire deer.

Jake moved slowly and silently to the side, letting Dwight see the deer. The perfectly normal deer. If the Entity had decided to create a deer replica, it would not be this pretty, this perfect. It would be deformed and hideous, like the horse at the chapel.

“We’re- We’re free,” Dwight stuttered. “Jake, we’re free!” He got up to his feet, not caring that he scared the deer away. He pulled Jake to also stand, and kissed the man deep, gripping onto the green sleeves of the jacket. Jake relaxed slightly but kissed back, still on edge, but knowing deep down that they were indeed free.

 

“Oomph!” Nea grunted, landing on the ground after hitting a tree branch. She picked herself up, dusting off the dirt from her front and face. She froze, staring up at the abandoned building. She was at Crotus Prenn Asylum, another trial, where was a generator-

_Mashtyx_

Her tag, looking down at her, the highest one there. It was her pride and joy, above all the other tags. She noted the other graffiti. She wasn’t in the Entity’s Realm. A grin covered her face, and she took off sprinting to the way back to town that she remembered before she entered the Realm. She didn’t give a damn if she left scratch marks or made noise. She was out, she survived, she kicked the Entity’s ass.

 

Claudette leaned over her sleeping friend lying on the ground in the woods. She had seen Meg when she started walking back towards the city. Between the birds chirping and the not-on-fire trees, she knew she was back in the real world. She couldn’t be completely happy, however; consumed by the thoughts of her friends, she could never truly stop worrying.

“Ugh… Claudette? Where are we?” Meg asked, rubbing her head. Claudette couldn’t stop the grin, knowing she would be over the moon that they were out of the realm.

“Listen. Do you hear the birds?” Claudette hinted. She watched realization cross Meg’s face once she went quiet, so she could listen. Suddenly, Meg’s face brightened.

“We’re free! There’re birds! We’re out!” Meg jumped up, hugging Claudette as tight as she could. “Claudette, we’re out! We’re fucking out!” She laughed merrily. People would have thought she just won the lottery, and she felt like she had. Meg slung an arm around Claudette’s shoulders, walking towards the town with the botanist.

“We’ll have to split up, I want to go see my mom, and you need to go see your parents. How about we meet at that little café, down the street from the track? Tomorrow at noon?” Claudette nodded in response, the excitement to see her parents leading her steps back into town.

 

The Las Vegas sign was bright against the night sky, a mark of the daring and exciting city that Ace found himself back in. Even though he was used to being in chaotic situations surrounded by the blaring music and flashing lights, his headache wasn’t appreciative of it. He stumbled out, deciding to stand in a quiet back alley instead. As he rested against the wall, he heard a low grunt beside him.

“Too loud for you, too?” A voice asked, vaguely familiar. Ace looked over, seeing Tapp, looking tired as he sat on the ground and leaning against the wall.

“Anything louder than that ship horn is too loud,” Ace teased, a grin covering his face.

“Looks like we made it, huh?”

“Seems so.”

Tapp let out a deep sigh, relieved but not worry free like Ace felt. It reminded him of-

Bill. He needed to find Bill.

“You’re still a detective, right? In a few towns over in California?” Ace asked, looking down at the detective. He finally decided to sit as well. Tapp made a confirmation grunt. “Can you help me find Bill? He said he’s from another universe , I don’t know if he knows Omaha is a place, but hopefully he has some record here so we can find him.”

Tapp gave Ace a side look. “Another universe? And you expect me to find him?” Ace rolled his eyes.

“If he’s from another universe and the Entity spit him in this one, who knows what else the Entity changed.” Tapp made a thinking hum, using a hand to rub his chin.

“Alright. I’ll see what I can do. I need to get back to my city, first.”

 

“Min?! Min?! Wake up!” A voice called, in Chinese, a language she hadn’t heard in what felt like forever. Min slowly sat up, allowing her eyes to fall open to see… her mother?

“Mother?” Min asked, the Chinese feeling foreign but very familiar on her tongue. She was grasped in a tight hug; the breath being squeezed out of her.

_The Doctor right behind her, cackling and chasing her through the Ironworks of Misery. She jumped off the catwalk, her breath leaving her lungs as she landed, letting out a grunt and taking off in a run towards the window. Not today, she wasn’t getting caught this time-_

“Min, Min! Are you okay?” Her mother asked, opting to pull from the hug and instead grasp her shoulders. Min shook her head to clear the memories, although it didn’t help as much as she had hoped. She had a feeling it never would.

“It, it was horrible, Mother,” Min choked out, not aware of the moment she started crying. Her mother wrapped her in a hug as Min sobbed, and she was truly home again, in China, in her mother’s garden.

 

Kate felt something cool against her arm, and when she sat up to see what had happened, her eyes landed on her acoustic guitar. Her eyes brightened in hope, picking it up and experimentally strumming some of the strings. A giddy feeling rose up into her chest when the acoustic noises resonated across the clearing she was positioned in. The fire pit was long past dead, a cruel reminder of how long she had been in the Realm.

Equipped with her guitar, she started making her way back to her old pickup truck. She was heading straight back home, straight back to her kin. However, as she got settled in and started the truck, a feeling of loneliness settled in her stomach. She wasn’t used to being alone now; not for long, anyway. There was a bittersweet familiarity of returning to the fire after every grueling trial, surrounded by her new friends. When she was whisked away into a trial, it wasn’t long until she found somebody else.

It had been a while since she was truly alone. It unsettled her, and she wanted nothing more to see family, or to see the comforting smile of the one and only Laurie Strode.


	4. The Planning Begins

“Help our friend, please,” Quentin begged as soon as him and Bill made it to the emergency room’s receptionist, still holding Laurie up to the best of their abilities. The nurse gave them a look over, but ultimately decided that obviously something was wrong if they were holding up an unconscious individual.

A gurney came from locked doors, and another nurse helped them get Laurie onto it.

“Can you give us any information about her? Do you two need a checkup, too? You’re looking pale, sir,” The nurse said to Quentin.

“Laurie Strode. That’s her name. I’m fine but my grandpa over here,” Quentin explained, ignoring the stern look Bill gave him, “Needs help. He was coughing up a lung on the way here. I’m scared that the exertion from carrying Laurie flared up his cough again.” The nurse nodded, leading Bill over to the side door so she could unlock it.

“What’re you doin’, kid?” Bill asked gruffly.

“You said you’re not from this universe, right? Let’s see if they can find a record of you, maybe the Entity took you from one universe that split before back into this one.” Quentin explained in a low voice, knowing Bill didn’t have a problem hearing.

Quentin followed behind the nurse and Bill to another room. He heard a gasp from the hall above and a loud clatter, and it made his muscles tense, his adrenaline run high, and his heart pound in his ears.

_The Nurse wheezed then shrieked as she teleported. Quentin didn’t have much time to think of a plan. You can’t think faster than a killer that teleports in a blink. He cried out, almost dropping to the ground as a searing hot pain came from his shoulder. Tears blurred his vision, but he pushed through the pain and the tears, focusing on getting as far as possible from The Nurse as she recovered._

“Kid,” Bill grunted, clapping Quentin’s shoulder. Quentin sucked in air, expecting it to be another rusty machete or axe or whatever-

“Get ahold of yourself, quit actin’ up,” Bill said sternly, but Quentin could hear the meaning underneath. ‘Try not to give away that we were chased down by killers and now you’re having the flashbacks I used to. You will have time later, but not in public, not now.’ Quentin straightened up, nodding but mostly as a reassurance to himself. He ached for David, for his strong, tight hugs, and his words of comfort that he would rather cut out his own tongue than utter to somebody else than Quentin.

“What’s your name, sir?” The nurse asked, nodding towards a general hospital bed for Bill to sit on. She connected a blood pressure cuff to the tube, then slid it on Bill’s arm.

“William Overbeck,” He answered stiffly. The nurse walked over to a computer, looking him up as the machine started up and took his pressure.

“Mr. Overbeck, you’re a veteran. You could have gone to the veteran’s hospital down the road!” The nurse stated, turning to face Bill. He simply shook his head.

“No need, just a quick checkup. Nothin’ too special.”

Quentin was sitting in a waiting chair outside the room Bill was in, waiting for him to be done or for news to be released about Laurie.

“Quentin Smith?” A doctor called. Quentin immediately stood but had conflicting thoughts whether to reveal himself as Quentin Smith or not. He hadn’t told anybody here his name. “Ms. Strode is awake and asked for you.” Quentin finally went to the doctor, allowing himself to be led to Laurie.

Quentin smiled at Laurie once he saw her. He shut the door behind the doctor as she left. “We made it out,” Laurie stated simply, an IV in her arm but otherwise looking healthy.

Quentin nodded, then nodded at the IV. “Dehydration, apparently. I wonder if I laid there longer than you and Bill. I heard you two, you know. I wasn’t entirely unconscious on the ground,” She grinned, genuinely happy to be out of that wretched Realm. “Where’s Bill?”

“Getting checked. Wanted to see if he existed in this universe. He does,” Quentin answered, instinctively going to touch his cross. He froze when he realized it wasn’t there. Had it fallen off in the woods?

“You gave it to David before we left,” Laurie said, as if reading his mind. Quentin nodded, that memory resurfacing once again. Between Laurie and the escape, Quentin was surprised he had enough capacity to think of that lie for Bill.

“We need to find the others,” _and David_. It was unspoken, but definitely the most important in Quentin’s mind. Laurie nodded, resting back on the pillows. Quentin returned to the hall to give her privacy. After all she had been through, she deserved rest. He could figure out where they were without making it too suspicious on his own.

 

Nea’s lungs were burning when she approached the hangout, but she didn’t care. If anything, it was exhilarating. She now sort of understood why Meg ran now.

“Luke?” Nea called out for her previous best friend, before all _that stuff_ happened.

“Nea?!” Luke emerged from a room that was curtained off. “You’ve been missing for three and a half years! Where the hell have you been?!” He demanded, grabbing her into a tight hug. Nea hugged back, not surprised that Luke would be more emotional than her.

“Three years, fuck… I was in a bad place, Luke. I’ll tell you one day soon, but you won’t believe me. I’ll tell you if you can do something for me, it’s so important, Luke,” She pleaded.

“Anything, Nea.”

“We need to take your truck to Omaha.”

“In Nebraska?!” Luke almost shouted in confusion.

“No, in Montana. Yes, in Nebraska! Luke, the people who helped me survive for three years are there. Please, Luke. I’ll pay, and I’ll tell you where I was.” Luke almost couldn’t believe his ears. Three years ago, Nea would have never begged, especially not to go see some people states away. By the look in her eyes, though, Luke knew she was being sincere about wanting this.  

“Okay, okay fine. Nebraska. We leave tomorrow morning,” He agreed, watching her face light up. She collapsed on the nearest couch, and to Luke’s utter disbelief, Nea appeared to have tears in her eyes.


	5. The Killers Awaken

Sally Smithson cursed in her head at the dropped clipboard, but continued to stare at the tired man that often evaded her in the Trials. They had left first, why was she suddenly seeing him now? The old man was there too, the one that blended very well with the foliage due to his green jacket.

She had woken up a week ago in an apartment to an annoying sound. On instinct, she had picked up the phone and answered it, with her _finger_. She had no idea how she knew how to do that, nor how she knew how to operate the machinery within the hospital where she was employed at. It all came to her naturally like she had been doing it for ages.

“Sally are you okay?” Another nurse asked, resting a hand on Sally’s shoulder.

“I think I need to speak to Dr. Carter. I’m suddenly feeling really dizzy,” Sally played off, holding a hand to her forehead to make it more convincing. The nurse nodded, worry flickering across her face as she led Sally to where Herman Carter was filling out a prescription.

“Dr. Carter, Sally says she’s feeling dizzy. Can you look at her?” The nurse asked politely, knocking on the office door.

“Can’t you see I’m,” Herman stopped as he saw the look on Sally’s face,” Yes. Of course. Please close the door, give us some privacy.” Sally sat on the chair across from Herman, nodding in thanks to the nurse. As soon as the nurse shut the door behind her, Herman narrowed his eyes at Sally. “Sally your face reminds me every day of the terrible memories implanted in my mind, and the terrible things I have done. What, in all things holy, could you need from me?”

“What a charmer, Herman,” Sally teased. It was second nature at this point, to tease the man who she had often seen twitching with insanity and the sparks that flew from his hand. “The tired one and the army one is here.” Sally watched as Herman’s brow furrowed, confusion evident. “The other one, that stabbed us so many times, with Myers. She’s admitted as well from dehydration. You don’t think they just appeared, do you?”

“Impossible. We went in after them and we’ve been here a week. Perhaps they just got injured. Quentin, Bill, and Laurie,” He seemed to mutter their names to himself.

“All three of them? At once? It’s impossible to avoid it, Herman. We’re in the same world as them. The Entity dropped us together.”

“Sally let’s think about this. So, what if they did? It’s highly unlikely we’ll ever talk to them, and if we do, they don’t know us outside of that place.” Herman responded, always the one to be logical and critical of any situation.

“They know our names,” She argued.

“Then let us hope we never have to introduce ourselves.” 

 

“Alright there, Max?” Philip Ojomo said to his coworker, Max Thompson Jr., as he walked by with a crate of metal bits to be recycled. Max, who was in charge of organizing usable metal pieces from unusable bits, was staring off in the distance. “Mr. MacMillan won’t be happy if you keep slacking off.” His tone was light and teasing, never one to say something bitter or rude.

“The botanist.”

“Hm?” Philip set the crate down, opting to stand beside his friend.

“The botanist from the Trials. Claudia?” Max said, subtly pointing across the street where the woman was walking beside another woman with pigtails.

“Claudette, yes. And the athletic girl, Meg. Seems they did make it out,” Philip brushed it off, happy that they made it out. He never envied the multiple survivors he was forced to sacrifice for the Entity’s pleasure, but he often pitied them and balanced on the line of not intervening with their escaping and sacrificing them. If he were them, he wouldn’t want to bother with the ones forced – or not, in some of the killers’ cases – to murder them over and over.

“Do you think we’ll see them again?” Max asked, watching as they rounded the corner. Philip casted him a side glance.

“Infatuated? That David one was cuter than both of them, but whatever floats your boat, friend.”

“Am I paying you to watch girls like a couple of creeps, or to sort through this metal for recycling?” A third voice appeared, causing Max to jump but Philip to just grin and turn to face his boss.

“Mr. MacMillan, we’re just inquiring about Claudette Morel and Meg Thomas,” Philip teased, but wanted Evan to remember, to remember the survivors and be happy like he was that they also escaped.

Evan raised his eyebrows. “That’s great, Philip, and I told you to just call me Evan. Get back to work, you two. This recycling business was your idea, anyhow, Philip.”

Philip grinned at Evan, his best friend, his teacher in the craziness and pain and panic, the sleepless hours and the self-torture from the forced killing. It was nice to have that secure presence outside the Trials, nice to know he wasn't alone. He picked up the crate and started hauling the metal once again.

 

Amanda watched Michael from her desk with a fan blowing on her. Even while in a tank top and shorts, she was still burning up from the heat. How he worked in a t-shirt and jumpsuit, she would never know.

Meanwhile, Michael was bent over the engine of a car, examining the radiator tank, attempting to figure out why it was constantly leaking the coolant that was poured in. The top of his jumpsuit was shrugged from his shoulders, hanging loosely at his legs instead.

“Michael?” Amanda asked hesitantly, not sure how to bring this up to her coworker. She didn’t receive an answer or even a look, but she knew the silent man was listening, especially when he stopped wrenching a nut to hear her. He rarely spoke, which crept Amanda out, even here outside the Trials. “They… They found Laurie. Admitted her to the hospital. They should be questioning her soon.” She watched Michael tense up, lowering his head and continuing his work. She shrugged to herself – could have gone significantly worse.

Michael, on the other hand, was confused. Usually the mention of her name would make a deep obsession stir with him, along with the overwhelming urge to find her and end her just to stop the obsession and the thoughts and voices that screamed at him to find her. Perhaps the Entity had forgotten to return all of his terrible old habits when it stripped him of his powers and dropped him back in the world.

“Oh yeah, Philip is swinging by later to pick up leftover parts.”

At this, Michael stopped once again. The silence that the other man kept was preferable over Carter’s annoying giggle, Smithson’s gasps and wheezes, or Sawyer’s constant muttering. It caused Michael to grow fond of the other, and sometimes, when he watched him enough, he could see glimpses of his humanity still there, waiting for the day he didn’t have to submit to the Entity. It confused him. Killing used to come naturally, the innocence the other man had was unfamiliar to Michael. He would even call Philip a friend, if the other man would call him one, too.

“What? Nervous to see your boyfriend?” Amanda teased, watching Michael closely for more confirmation. Michael simply started again. “Not going to spill, sour puss? You’re so boring.”

As expected, Michael said nothing at her words.

 

Anna arrived at her job as a bouncer for a popular bar in the heart of the city. When she arrived a week ago in the strange city, it didn’t take long for her to be hired as a bouncer. Due to her stature and muscles, she was the perfect fit.

Seeing as she was the only female bouncer at that bar, it wasn’t a surprise when men started flirting with her in an attempt to get in for free. However, it wasn’t long before they learned no matter the charm of the person, they were not getting past her if they had no intention to pay. It also wasn’t long until regulars started learning that if women were willing to bite, they would get in much more often through the side door for free.

That wasn’t an exception when Amanda Young walked up, either, flashing her smile at Anna.

“Anna, how have you been?” Amanda said, sliding right by other parties. If they started complaining, one look from Anna had them quickly quieting down.

“You’re back. Don’t you work in the morning?” Anna asked, her accent especially thick when compared to Amanda’s voice. This question earned her a beautiful smile and a hand on her arm.

“Didn’t know you cared so much, Anna. Don’t worry, big girl. I can take care of myself.” With that, she easily slipped past Anna, but not before standing on her tip toes to kiss the woman’s cheek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know how this format is working, always willing to hear feedback :D
> 
> Also thank you for all the kudos! Almost hittin' the 100 mark!
> 
> [Edit] Updated to reflect choices as I'm reading over it and taking the story a different way.


	6. Family Reunions Pt. 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Started a job that's 6 days a week, bought some concert tickets, goin to school. I have a spiral notebook of chapters for this wondrous story. Enjoy this pre-written chapter :D
> 
> Thank you for all the kind comments. They really inspire me!

Min sat cross-legged at the low rising table that her mother adored in the garden, across from her father and mother. She was surprised that they believed her. She wasn’t sure if she would believe herself if she hadn’t lived it – killers, repeating trials, dying and coming back to life, supernatural powers that sometimes applied to her as well. She supposed, though, that seeing their daughter come back after what she discovered was almost two years and seeing her peering over her shoulder, there wasn’t much they could use to say she was lying.

They now sat in silence, only the sound of running water filled the air. It wasn’t awkward, but it was obvious her parents were struggling to wrap their heads around it. Min glanced around, over her shoulder, across the garden, far away in the distance, anywhere that a killer could come for her and her friends.

“Ms. Feng,” A new voice appeared, causing Min to jerk and spill her tea on her hands. She bit her tongue but didn’t make a noise. She was vaguely aware of her mother scolding the poor butler, and cleaning Min’s now red hands. This was nothing compared to having her hands trapped in bear traps, trying to block a knife, a blow up from a generator, or a well-aimed hatchet.

Min attempted to calm her breathing. She was okay, she was with her parents. This was real. The Entity didn’t have the power to do all of this. Unless it had gotten stronger, somehow, and was just feeding constant sources of hope so it could feed off of them.

_“If you’re not sure whether you’re awake or not in this world, blow up a generator, stab into your wound, do something to remind you that you need to be awake, and that your body can break any sleep or hallucination with enough pain,” Quentin explained to her, after they narrowly escaped Freddy._

_“Is that how you survived Freddy for so long in your world?” Min asked curiously. It wasn’t often the boy talked, not even to David, and she admired how strong he was, like the old man, Bill._

_Quentin gave a lopsided smile. “That and lots of caffeine and pills.”_

“Min, are you okay?” Her mother was now shaking her. Min felt the searing heat on her hands, and decided ‘This is real.’

“Yes, mother. Just got scared,” Min attempted to comfort, but she knew it solidified what she had told her parents. The memory of Quentin reminded her of something. “Mother, father, I need to go to America.”

“You just returned to us, Min,” Her father objected, worry deep in the lines on his face.

“I have to meet friends there. The ones I told you about. If I got out, they had to, as well.”

“They saved our daughter, honey. She should see them,” Her mother gently pushed. “I don’t want her to leave either, but this has been her life for the past two years.” Min felt guilt twist her insides. She didn’t like when her parents worried about her, but she needed to do this.

“Okay, okay. Min, where do you need to go?”

 

The drive wasn’t long, but Kate had an anxiousness building up in her the closer she got to home. How long had she been gone? Was everybody okay? Would they believe what she said, or would it be another story to them, like Bigfoot?

This was the first time she didn’t walk the steps up to her house with a huge smile on her face. Instead, she had her eyebrows furrowed in worry. She lifted her hand to knock, but hesitated. How do you tell your family you were tortured for however long? That you can’t walk down the path you’ve grown up walking up and down without looking over your shoulder, waiting for a man to be staring at you, knife raised, ready to strike?

She knocked. The door opened to reveal her mother, who instantly widened her eyes in disbelief. “Kate? Kate, my baby!” Kate was wrapped in a tight hug, and she did her best to not cry as she hugged back. The commotion caused more people to come to the porch, and suddenly she was being touched from all sides. Fingers grabbing, arms wrapping, questions being asked.

_Kate gripped the hardened tendril attempting to pierce her. The ones around her dug into her skin, but never delivered the killing blow. No, the main one had to. The others told her that as long as that one didn’t give the killing blow into her heart, the Entity wouldn’t kill her with the other ones. It didn’t ease her fears, and the bile rose in the back of her throat. She didn’t want to be touched anymore. Not by so many things, digging into her skin, reminding her how close she was to slipping and being pierced by six of them._

“Get off, get off, GET OFF!” She screamed, dropping down on the ground away from their prying hands. She was back in the basement, the Entity floating back up, but knowing that it would get its meal. She looked at the stairs. The killer was near, the heartbeat getting louder. She limped behind the wall, hoping another survivor would get its attention.

She tried to muffle her whimpers, she did, but they wouldn’t stop coming. The pain and the tears were overwhelming, and no amount of clenching her teeth stopped the noises. They doomed her, she knew it.

She screeched as a hand grabbed her. She kicked and fought, but it was too late. She was staring back into Myers’ lifeless mask, feeling the knife penetrate her lung. Her mouth froze in a silent scream, and the world went black.

 

“Mum, please, ‘ve got ta go, I need ta get t’ America,” David groaned out, attempting to shoo his mother’s hands away from his face where he had his scar across his eye. ‘The Entity gave it to you because you annoyed it,’ Quentin had sassed, but it didn’t stop him from tracing it and smiling softly.

“David th’ only t’ing you’ve told us is tha’ you were chased by killers and need ta get to your friends,” His father said, a disbelieving grown stuck on his face.

“I don’ know how else ta explain it. I know it sounds ridiculous, yeah? Bu’ where else would I ‘ave been for th’ last two years?” He argued back. “I promise ta tell ye all abou’ it when we’re waitin’ on th’ plane, but I need it now.” His father gave a stiff nod, and make a call.

“What is this, David?” His mother asked, touching Quentin’s necklace that he was wearing.

“From’a friend,” He answered, jerking away and holding the necklace. Nobody else was allowed to touch his only grip on the idea that Quentin is real. His mother raised her eyebrows. “I told ya that there were others there. So he gave me ‘is necklace.”

“You fell in love while running from killers?” She asked, looking at him like he was crazy. She didn’t seem to doubt the killers, just the fact that David actually settled for someone in that hectic scene.

“We ‘ad downtime, mum,” David groaned, rolling his eyes. There was no denying that he had fell in love.

“Th’ plane will be ‘ere soon. I expect ya ta introduce him to us sometime,” His father interjected. David nodded, and sat. He launched into his recollection of the Entity, the killers, the survivors, and a boy named Quentin.


	7. Family Reunions Pt. 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/masonry/000/657/459/e31.gif
> 
> Enjoy the update!

Dwight had watched Jake put gas in the generator and start it, pulling on the cable - way different than the grueling pulling, twisting, turning that the Trials' generators required. Before long, they were actually indoors, with lights, no screams or random equipment. Just Jake's old home, littered with a couple dishes, clothes, and shoes, truly showing how Jake was plucked from his day-to-day life without a warning. Dwight had helped Jake clean up, and helped him where he could to make tea in relative silence.

They now sat across from each other. Dwight savored the warmth from his mug on his hands, enjoying the smells, the comfortable seat, the lights, the peacefulness. All the windows were locked and covered, and all the doors were shut tight and locked. It calmed Dwight's nerves - although the hallway he could see behind Jake's head caused a panic to stir in the pit of his stomach. He opted not to look.

Jake was glancing around occasionally, but not nearly as bad as before. He took quiet drinks, appreciating the quiet more than anything. They never truly got quietness, whether it was the crackling of the fire or grass moving. All he could hear now was his and Dwight's breathing, and the gentle hum of the lights. It was almost enough to let him put his guard down. Almost.

"We'll have to go to that address. We have to make sure everybody else is okay," Dwight said, the first to break the silence. Jake nodded.

"In a couple days." With that, Jake moved to the couch. He hung up a blanket in front of the eerie hallway before he sat. It was a flimsy barrier, but it calmed his nerves, and most importantly, Dwight's, who looked more relaxed. Together they sat, Jake's arm around Dwight's shoulders, as they drank their teas and let their minds and bodies relax.

 

"I made a few dozen calls," Tapp began, swirling the ice in his water. "William 'Bill' Overbeck is a veteran from the Vietnam War, and he was recently checked into a hospital for a minor checkup, about an hour north of Omaha, Nebraska." Ace couldn't help the grin that graced his face. Even a fifth-dimensional evil being couldn't keep them apart.

"Thank you. I'll be going shortly to the address we were told, before that old coot thinks he got away from me. I'll buy your plane ticket, as well, in thanks," Ace responded, the words sliding easy off his tongue. He was worried, but sarcasm was easier to communicate.

"No need. I'm going straight back to California." 

"Let me pay for that, then. You provided this old man information that he wouldn't have gotten anywhere else," Ace smiled what he hoped to be a charming smile. He didn't have much time to practice his charming abilities in that horrid place.

Tapp sighed, and glanced around once again. They had been doing that all night. Luckily for them, if a big killer were to make their presence known, there was an entire crowd to warn them from the danger coming. 'Didn't die from being too careful,' Ace thought to himself.

"Fine. Just enough to get home," Tapp grumbled out.

"Sounds like a deal."

 

"Mom?" Meg called into the empty house. The key was left in the same place: the third potted plant, an aloe vera. 

"Megan?" Meg's mother called from the kitchen. Meg rushed in, stopping when she saw her mother standing there with a towel in her hands. "Megan," Her mother breathed out, her eyes wide and filled with tears.

"Mom!" Meg ran closer, wrapping her mom in a tight hug, letting the tears flow. 

"My baby, oh my God, my baby, you're back," Her mother sobbed out, holding her daughter tight. Meg inhaled the scents. The smell of the lemon air freshner her mother loved, her mother's perfume, and the coffee that was brewing. She carved it into her memory, vowing to never let it go. She was back in the real world, back with her mother, back at her house, and back to her life.

"I have so much to tell you," Meg began, pulling from the hug. Together they sat at the kitchen table with two cups of coffee, as Meg began telling her mother the almost four years of suffering she had been through, and the friends she met along the way.

 

Claudette walked up the path to her house. The garden was still being cared for. Memories of caring for it with her mother filled her mind, but she pressed on before she stopped in favor of nostalgia. There was time for that later, if she was truly free. The only thing keeping her calm was the bright sunlight and the voices filling the streets from her neighbors. She knocked on the pale red door. The paint was chipping in the upper right corner, she noted. Everything needed to be noted to stay safe. 

The door opened to reveal her father, standing in a formally informal outfit that he always wore. "Daddy," She croaked out, losing her voice as it thickened from tears she held back.

"Claudette," He said breathlessly, stepping forward with his hands out, like if he were to touch her, she would disappear. She came in for a hug, resting her head on his shoulder. "Claudette, you're safe," He said in disbelief this time.

"I am, dad, I am." 

"Hun? Who's at the door?" Her mother said from inside the house. Her father moved aside so she could see her. "Is- Is that you, Claudette?"

"Hi mama," Claudette laughed soft, overwhelmed from seeing them again. Her mother came closer, then wrapped her in a hug. They went inside to gather for a lunch that her mother had just cooked, unknowingly cooking enough for three people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously, y'all. Thank you so much for the comments and the love and the kudos. I know I went afk there for a while, but I finished school and got a job and y'know, it was real busy. However, I am back. I have a couple plans for this story.
> 
> I think I like the platform of few surv chapters, few killer chapters. Just to keep it pretty back and forth. It takes a bit for them to interact, so.


	8. A Quick Update

Hello all! Thank you for tuning in to my Super Important Announcement. 

Soon, I'll be posting another chapter for this story. Don't think I'm going on another 6 month hiatus. I usually physically write my works, type them, save them, then upload them to AO3. It's usually a long process.

I'm also working, getting a new apartment with a couple friends, and just generally doing Adult Things that is taking more of my attention and energy that I can't dedicate to this story.

I hope you all like the updates that will come! Soon there will be a foe and lemme tell you, it is heart-wrenching and good and sweet what all of my DBD bois have to go through. 

I'll delete this when I update the story with an official chapter. Thank you so much for reading and being patient!


	9. A Quick Update pt 2

Right-o. I've been writing a lot for all you precious readers, and I have come to a conclusion.

I will be posting a Killer Perspective, in a different story. This one will focus on survivors, and survivor-killer relationships, and survivor-survivor relationships, while the spin-off will focus on survivor-killer relationships, as well as killer-killer relationships. This is to avoid more jumps in POV than I do now. 

I'll keep the current killer-focused chapters I have, and just avoid posting more of those. Sorry if you were looking forward to more killer! I do have plans for it, just not in this particular story. If I could have done it smoother, I would have. 

Thank you guys! New chapter will be up tomorrow. 

meowbands


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